Monday, February 9, 2009

Pinkus Organic Munster Alt and Big Swell IPA

When we were at the gourmet cheese shop in Maui, I needed something to wash down all that cheesy goodness. Since we were buying $49 worth of cheese, I knew King in a Can wouldn't do the trick, nor would a bottle of wine since I can't seem to take as much of a sip of wine without getting a headache. They had a few good beers at this store...many I've tried, many I've seen cheaper elsewhere. I looked in their sale bin and found a 500ml bottle of this Altbier for $2.99...to top it off, it's organic! You can't get organic milk for this price in Hawaii. Organic beer in a yuppy cheese store, score!

The Pinkus was pretty good, light and refreshing with a slight applish flavor. Grade=A-, PQ=21

While in Maui, I wanted to stop in for lunch and a few beers at the Maui Brewing Company, but since we didn't have a car, and it was on the other end of the island, we didn't want to spend 4hours on buses in order to go to this brewpub...especially since I've seen mix reviews on the restaurant. So, I had to settle on a 6-pack of their Big Swell IPA from Foodland. There's no Maui Brewing Company discount on Maui...I paid $10.99 for the 6-pack, same as Whole Foods in Honolulu.

I really liked this one...much better than the other MBC beer I had recently. I can't think of the name right now, so it wasn't too memorable...it was the one with the yellow can, a lager. I also like the can format, and wished more microbrews would bring the can back. Something about sitting on the lanai in Maui at 10am sipping on a cold can of beer, listening to my neighbor try to strum Israel "Iz" Kamakawiwo'ole's rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", is very relaxing. The can is also more convenient...easier to stuff in a fridge, easier to carry to the beach, easier to punch a hole in the side and shotgun. As for the beer, it was very hoppy but not unbearably hoppy. There was also a strong orangish taste, that was actually pretty good. Grade=A, PQ=26